WTA Rankings: Points Sabalenka, Gauff, Swiatek, Mboko, Raducanu, Eala will defend in April
The fourth month of the 2026 WTA Tour season marks the start of the clay-court swing with four tournaments scheduled for April, although one of those events will finish in May.
The Linz Open is the first tournament of the month with the WTA 500 starting on 6 April – although no one in the top 10 will be in action in Austria – before the big-name players start their clay swing at the Stuttgart Open from 13-19 April.
The Open de Rouen takes place the same time as the WTA 500 Stuttgart event while the WTA 1000 Madrid Open brings the curtain down on the month of April, but it is a two-week tournament with the latter stages taking place in the first week of May.
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With the WTA using a rolling 52-week cumulative system for the rankings, players will defend points from corresponding periods/tournaments 12 months ago.
Those points drop at the start of a tournament and players then earn points for their round-by-round progression at that event.
WTA Top 10 At Start Of April
1. Aryna Sabalenka – 11,025
2. Elena Rybakina – 8,108
3. Coco Gauff – 7,278
4. Iga Swiatek – 7,263
5. Jessica Pegula – 6,243
6. Amanda Anisimova – 6,180
7. Elina Svitolina – 3,965
8. Jasmine Paolini – 3,907
9. Victoria Mboko – 3,531
10. Mirra Andreeva – 3,121
Points Selected Players Will Drop
Aryna Sabalenka – 1,325
World No 1 Sabalenka has a handy lead in the WTA Rankings and she played in two events in 2025 as she featured at the Stuttgart Open and Madrid Open.
She finished runner-up to Jelena Ostapenko in Germany so will drop 325 points for that event while she beat Coco Gauff in Madrid, which is another 1,000 points.
Elena Rybakina – 65
The reigning Australian Open champion is in a good position to put pressure on Sabalenka in the battle for the No 1 spot as she played only one event in April last year and that was the Madrid Open where she lost in the third round.
Rybakina has entered the Stuttgart Open and Madrid Open this year.
Coco Gauff – 758
Gauff overtook Iga Swiatek at No 3 in the rankings after the Miami Open, but she has more points to defend than the Pole in April.
The American lost in the quarter-final in Stuttgart (108) last year while she was runner-up to Sabalenka in Madrid (650).
Iga Swiatek – 498
After a difficult Sunshine Double, reigning Wimbledon champion Swiatek will hope the switch to her favourite surface will help her to regain form.
The Pole lost in the last eight in Stuttgart in 2025 and the semi-final in Madrid (390).
Jessica Pegula – 173
Pegula was also a quarter-finalist in Stuttgart last year and lost in the third round in Madrid.
A note on the American, she is dropping 500 points at the current Charleston Open as she is the defending champion so her tally of 6,243 is technically 5,743, but will of course be able to win some points back with her round-per-round progression.
Amanda Anisimiva – 10
Like Pegula, Anisimova is also dropping points in Charleston (-195), but she has basically a free hit in April as she played in only the Madrid Open last year and lost in the second round.
Victoria Mboko – 1
The Canadian played at the WTA 125 L’Open 35 de Saint-Malo in 2025 and lost in the first round, so there is a good chance of progressing up the rankings in April for the rising star.
Emma Raducanu – 35
The British No 1 played in only one tournament in April 2025 and that was the Madrid Open where she lost in the second round.
She is set to feature in the Linz Open and the WTA 1000 event in Spain in 2026.
Alex Eala – 15
The Filipina has dropped to No 45 in the WTA Rankings after her round of 16 exit from the Miami Open, but there is good news in terms of ranking points on the way.
Eala played WTA 125K Oeiras Ladies Open and lost in the second round.
